Let The Shuriken Fall Where They May
by FallenAngel462
Summary: Now an independent chuunin, Sakura has gotten over her childish crush on Sasuke, even though Team 7 still trains together. When a routine mission suddenly becomes deadly, their bonds are tested to the breaking point. Are they strong enough to survive?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Alright, so this is my third fic. This is my first try at a chaptered story, so please forgive any mistakes. However I do accept any kind of criticism, so please tell me what I can do to improve my writing! Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its components in any way, nor do I make any profit.

* * *

Sakura leaned against the bridge casually, sighing in boredom and wondering why, out of all the senseis, she would be stuck with the one that is _always_ late. Sasuke Uchiha stood against the railing across from her, hands in his pockets and expression blank. As usual.

Sometimes she just wanted to shake the kid. Make him _feel_ something, even if it _were_ only shock and anger. But she knew the cause. His parents, grandparents, cousins, aunts and uncles had been killed in the Uchiha massacre. The only remaining member was his brother, Itachi. Sakura's own parents had been ANBU before they were killed on an S-class mission six years ago.

Sure, she had spent weeks holed up in her room, crying her eyes out until she thought they might be permanently red and puffy, but she wasn't emotionally challenged. She had learned to move on, but she supposed it had to be considerably worse for the raven-haired boy, as his own brother had done the killing, and it had been his whole clan. There was no one left for him to go home to.

However, Sakura took pride in the fact that her childish crush on Sasuke had faded to nothing more than friendship on her part. Thinking of how clingy she had been made her cringe, and gave her the insatiable urge to train harder than before, as if this would somehow make up for her actions.

She turned her head to study the Uchiha. He was dressed in his usual blue and white attire, the shirt baring the Uchiha symbol on the back. A kunai holster was strapped around his right thigh, two white arm coverings in place. As her eyes drifted up to his face, she found two onyx pools staring back at her nonchalantly.

"Is there something you need?" Sasuke asked, raising a brow.

Sakura turned her face away with a snort. "Not from you."

She swore she could feel his smirk burning into her, and it only fueled her ire at being caught staring. Suddenly, a high voice rang out.

"Ohayo, Sasuke-kun!" Sakura cringed slightly at the shrill and unwelcome noise. A random fan girl skipped around the corner, waving wildly and giggling. Sakura heard Sasuke's sharp intake of breath, and could see the annoyance in every line of his posture.

She stopped next to Sasuke and grinned up at him happily, glancing at Sakura with a distant smile. "Ohayo, Sakura-san!"

Sakura nodded and watched with sick amusement at the Uchiha's obvious annoyance and discomfort at the girl's proximity. And it was about to get better.

"Hey, Sasuke, do you think we could go to Ichiraku's for some ramen? I heard that--"

"No."

The girl's eyes widened, then slowly cast downwards in hurt. "Oh, well, okay then. Maybe some other time, ne?" she asked, voice pitifully small and soft.

Sakura almost laughed at the Uchiha's expression. If you could imagine a horse with its ears back and the whites of its eyes showing in alarm and irritation, that was Sasuke. He seemed slightly startled that such a small word could break the girl and bring her close to tears, but was not concerned enough to move to correct it.

Sakura turned around to face the river, allowing them some…_privacy._ It wasn't that she disliked the girl on a personal level, it was just that sometimes, it could be tiring to watch these girls fan over the Uchiha _twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. _But she supposed she had no right to talk, considering her history.

Sakura wished the girl could see how her actions affected the way she was looked upon, and realize, as Sakura had, that it wasn't fair to herself to spend so much time on someone who would never be willing to do the same.

"Sakura-chan!" Sakura turned around at the sound of her name. A blonde blur flew over the hill and slid to a stop in the middle of the bridge, effectively interrupting Sasuke's torture and the girl's dramatic show. _Damn…_

Seeing that her time with Sasuke was over, the fan girl blinked the tears away quickly and managed a small smile.

"I'll see you later, okay Sasuke-kun? We'll have ramen some other time." Sasuke's head was turned away, but Sakura could practically see his eyes rolling. Then the fan girl was gone, jogging away.

Naruto Uzumaki stood proudly, a blob of neon orange. His bright blue eyes were practically glowing with excitement. Somehow, Sakura could never hate such an innocent, genuine, determined kid. Sure, he could get on her nerves and end up with a few bruises to show for it, but she could never bring herself to hate him.

Naruto tilted his head casually at Sasuke. "…..Sasuke-teme." He finished coolly. Sakura allowed the corners of her mouth to turn up in a small smile at the blonde's attempt at detachment after his rather obnoxious outburst.

Sasuke merely lowered his lids in an unimpressed expression and relaxed against the railing, the peril of having to deal with emotion passed.

"Dobe."

"Ohayo Naruto," Sakura greeted.

She furrowed a brow when he turned to her. "Sakura-chan, today, I am going to fight you!" he yelled, pointing his finger in the air to enhance his point.

Sakura's expression smoothed out and she grinned. "Alright Naruto, but just know, you're going to lose."

Naruto's eyes flared. "Naruto Uzumaki _will never_ lose!" he declared heroically.

Sakura smirked. "You lost yesterday," she casually pointed out.

Naruto twitched, but remained silent, as if not commenting would somehow make this fact not true. Sakura chuckled and leaned back against the railing as a poof of white attracted her attention.

Kakashi Hatake stood slightly slouched, his one visible eye crinkled in a nervous smile. "Yo."

"KAKASHI-SENSEI! YOU'RE LATE…..AGAIN!" Sakura and Naruto yelled, shaking their fists at the lazy jounin.

Said silver-haired jounin scratched the back of his head and sighed. "Well you see, I got lost on the road of life and--"

"Kakashi-sensei! Come up with something new, will you?" Sakura scolded, putting her hands on her hips. Sasuke rolled his eyes, both at Sakura and Kakashi.

Kakashi chuckled uneasily and leapt down to the ground. "Well, let's get started, shall we? Naruto and I will spar, and Sakura and Sasuke will spar."

With that said, he leapt into a tree and pulled out his dreaded orange book. Sakura glanced at Sasuke and shrugged, nodding. She led the way to the clearing, Sasuke following silently without removing his hands from his pockets.

When she arrived, she lowered herself into a fighting stance and waited for Sasuke to make a move. The chuunin wasted no time in launching himself at her, aiming a barrage of kunai and shuriken at her. Sakura dodged swiftly and sent some of her own back, forcing him to back-flip and land about ten feet away.

She promptly performed hand signs as she sprinted towards him, creating five clones. Sasuke readied a handful of shuriken and waited for the clones to approach, onyx eyes calm.

Before she reached him, she performed more hand signs and gave one final leap at the raven-haired shinobi. He flung the shuriken and froze when all six Sakuras disappeared. He didn't have enough time to dodge as Sakura's foot came into contact with his side and sent him sprawling.

She readied herself and waited for Sasuke to stand, but was surprised when he disappeared with a pop. Immediately, she leapt forward, flipping out of the way as a hand whizzed by her head.

_Clone!_ She thought, flinging several kunai at Sasuke to give herself time. She had created six clones, followed quickly by the substitution jutsu, which had given her time to get behind Sasuke. Apparently, he had had the same idea, and had created a clone without her knowing.

Sasuke was suddenly in front of her, forcing her into hand-to-hand combat. She was exceptionally good at tai-jutsu, and blocked his hits easily, sending in a few of her own chakra-enforced punches. He flinched, but made no sound of pain as her fist slammed into his stomach, pushing his whole body back a few feet.

Sakura saw her opening and flew at him, releasing a volley of hard kicks and punches, sliding down to drop-kick his feet out from under him. Sasuke blocked most of her hits, but didn't manage to block her foot as it swept him to the ground.

Sakura was on top of him in a second, kunai at his throat. He lay still, knowing struggling was futile. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"What's wrong with you? You're not going easy on me, are you?" she accused, eyes flashing dangerously. Sasuke _never_ went down easily.

He smirked. "You want me to go all out on you? I don't think you really want that," he said, onyx eyes daring her to disagree.

She took the bait readily. "Yes, I do. I don't want a friendly spar. I want you to _fight_ me," she growled, removing her kunai and standing up.

Sasuke stood also, head lowered. "Fine. Just don't complain later."

Sakura cheered inwardly. Finally, an all-out fight with Sasuke Uchiha! What a great way to hone her skills and have some good hard fun at the same time.

Suddenly he looked up, and Sakura was startled to see two crimson pools staring back at her. "Sharingan?" she questioned unsteadily.

He smirked again. "You wanted me to go all-out on you, didn't you?" he asked, pulling out several kunai.

Sakura swallowed and lowered herself into a defensive stance, forcing herself to regain her nerve. _Okay, focus, focus. He has the Sharingan, so I have no use for jutsus. I guess tai-jutsu is the only way to go, even though he does have a slight advantage with that too..._

Sakura took a deep breath and narrowed her eyes at the Uchiha, who stared back, smirking. Without another word, she disappeared, only to reappear next to him, swinging one chakra-infused punch after another. Sasuke blocked her more easily this time, managing to hit her several times.

It seemed her tai-jutsu prevailed. Having taken one hit too many, Sasuke leaped backwards and flung kunai at her before she could blink. Still, she had seen him train with the Sharingan and knew to expect things like this.

She reached into her belt and flipped out a long metal blade. _Fuuma shuriken._ Sakura was getting frustrated and uneasy that he probably knew what she was about to do before she did. It was time to get sneaky.

She sent chakra to her feet and rushed at him, flicking the blade open at the same time. With a cry, she flung it at him with all her might, and then as he dodged, sent more shuriken his way, forcing him to rely on the Sharingan once more to dodge. Now that he was thoroughly distracted, she disappeared, her chakra spiking one last time as her hands flew.

He stilled, crimson eyes roving the land calmly. If she neared him, he would know in time to get the heck out of the way.

Meanwhile, Sakura sat in a tree, leisurely twirling a kunai around her finger. She intended to wait until his guard dropped the slightest, just to get in one good jab. She watched the shinobi standing stock still and smiled.

Sasuke didn't know what to make of this. He assumed she was waiting somewhere, masking her chakra, but normally she would have struck by now. Sakura wasn't one to wait and drag things out. She wanted it done, clean and simple. So, why was she lingering?

Sakura watched in amusement as the Uchiha's head turned slowly this way and that. He was trying to sense her chakra, but it wouldn't happen. She knew how to effectively mask it from ninja, and not even the great Uchiha Sasuke could find her now.

With a smirk, she watched as one of her clones, sitting across the clearing in another tree, threw a barrage of kunai at Sasuke. Suddenly, the air was full of kunai as all five of her clones pelted the Uchiha, the air a glittering mass of metal.

At the height of the attack, Sakura slipped from the tree and made her way behind Sasuke. Just as she was about to lift a kunai to his throat, his hand clasped her wrist, and she was flung over his shoulder. Sakura managed to land with her feet on the ground, bent over backwards with one wrist still held by the Uchiha.

Before he could pin her down, she lifted her hips and brought her feet up towards the shinobi's face, using her other hand to flip herself back over as he dodged to the right, sending a punch to her side. Sakura twisted to the side as she flipped, landing facing him. He had landed the punch, but there was no chakra in it, so it probably would leave a bruise at the most. He didn't move, watching her intently. _Waiting to see what I do next, probably._

She couldn't help remarking to herself that it really _sucked_ that he could virtually dodge all of her attacks, yet she couldn't seem to land an attack on him except for a few punches and kicks here and there.

She ran at him, engaging him in hand-to-hand combat yet again, letting her frustration leak through. Sakura didn't like feeling powerless and vulnerable, and that was how she felt now.

"I said, _fight me_, so stop waiting and move, Uchiha!" she snarled, ducking one of his kicks and spinning to deliver a round house kick to his stomach. He caught her foot and looked her in the eye.

"My pleasure." He smirked that ever so annoying smirk of his and twisted her foot, causing her to twist with it as her other foot came up, aiming for his face. He caught it expertly, and now had both of her feet in his possession. _Good going, Sakura._

They were in a position similar to a wheelbarrow race now. Grunting, Sakura reached down to her pack and flicked several kunai straight at his stomach. She felt him release one foot to block the weapons, and yanked herself from his grip on her one foot. Unfortunately, it didn't work so well.

Sakura ended up pulling him forward into her, sending her off balance and knocking them both to the ground, where they instinctively rolled and ended up wrestling with each other in the dust. Sakura was on top, legs locked around his stomach, until he managed to buck her off and switched their positions.

It went on like this for quite a while. Finally, Sasuke managed to overpower her, pinning her to the ground. Sakura glared at him, chest heaving as she tried to regain her breath. "That wasn't all-out, Uchiha."

He smirked, and then let her up, heading back towards Kakashi, hands once more in his pockets.

Sakura lay in the dust for a few seconds, fuming. He hadn't even gone all out and he had _still _beat her! In her frustration, Sakura slammed a chakra-filled fist into the ground next to her, leaving a small crater.

Finally she stood and followed Sasuke, determined to sulk until she could fight Naruto. Then, oh yes, _then_, she could release the anger that was simmering inside of her. Sakura hated to lose, and she never felt better until she won something. Fortunately for her, Naruto was the perfect remedy in such cases, as he always went easy on her. Therefore she felt no inclination to pity him when he lost the battle, body and ego thoroughly bruised.

It was nothing personal, except that Naruto could never turn down a fight, and she always beat him easily. Poor Naruto usually ended up with a few broken bones whenever she _really _got riled up, and then Kakashi would scold her for using Naruto as a punching bag.

Her response was a glare and silence, but Kakashi never seemed all that upset to begin with. She suspected he was only scolding her because it was expected of him, as their mentor.

Naruto and Kakashi were already done, Kakashi the easy winner. She looked at Naruto's face, slightly disappointed, but still raring to go. _Sorry, kid, but I'm about to kick your ass!_

Sakura stood near Kakashi, waiting almost patiently. Naruto, however, was a different story.

"Kakashi-sensei! I'm going to fight Sakura-chan now!" he declared loudly, and Kakashi merely gave him thumbs up, still reading his book.

Sakura was smiling at Naruto almost evilly, but he only grinned back, almost glowing in excitement.

He bounced to the center of the field and stood waiting.

"Sakura-chan, try not to beat him up too bad this time."

Sakura smirked and gave Kakashi an innocent look, moving away to get into position.

"Naruto, I'm not going to dawdle today," Sakura growled, picturing Sasuke before her instead of Naruto, letting her earlier ire resurface.

As she did, she looked Naruto in the eye, feeling anger mixed with excitement flowing through her. No, there would be no playing around today.

She fingered a kunai and waited for Naruto. She didn't have to wait long, as Naruto came barreling at her immediately, casually throwing a few kunai.

Sakura used her own kunai to hit Naruto's out of the air and lunged at him, throwing four well-aimed shuriken. Naruto, who had been expecting her to back up, was surprised when two of the shuriken skimmed his face, leaving a large 'X' mark across his cheeks. One of the others sliced the strap on his shuriken holster, which fell to the ground with a thud. The last embedded itself in his kunai pouch, leaving a good-sized rip in it.

Naruto stood frozen in shock but was forced to move when Sakura came at him again, producing three clones.

As he flipped out of the way, handfuls of kunai fell from his waist to the ground, leaving him with a minuscule supply of weapons. Sakura smirked as she ran at him again, her clones simultaneously aiming a barrage of kunai at the fox-boy.

The real Sakura hung back, waiting for the precise moment. Naruto was forced to dodge once more, and while his attention was focused on the clones, Sakura whipped out two fuma shuriken, the deadly blades whirring open with metallic clicks.

She gathered herself inwards and began to spin. She needed ample momentum to pull this off. When she was no more than a spinning blur of pink and black, Sakura spun in one last circle, dragging her foot and using the remaining force to fling the two shuriken straight for the unsuspecting shinobi. At the last second, Sakura flung two kunai with deadly precision, so that they sliced right through the open centers of the rotating shuriken, already on their way towards Naruto.

The first thing Naruto saw was the two kunai heading straight for his face. He ducked, thinking he had missed the attack. As he straightened, he was shocked to see the two fuma shuriken whirling towards him with alarming speed.

It was too late for Naruto to move now. The shuriken slammed into him, sending him flying backwards into the tree behind him, the blades criss-crossed so intricately that he was not cut, but merely trapped against the trunk. The blades of the two overlapped shuriken prevented him from moving forward, the other sides embedded deeply into the trunk as his eyes widened in shock, frozen in place.

Sakura appeared in front of him smirking. "Well, Naruto. Looks like I win," she said, putting her hands on her hips, azure eyes gleaming in triumph.

It was perhaps the quickest battle she had ever taken part in, and she suddenly felt much better. So what if Sasuke had beat her? There was always tomorrow for that little bastard prodigy.

She leaned forward and dislodged the shuriken from the trunk, freeing Naruto, and stowed them away safely.

She smiled as she made her way back to where Kakashi and the others were waiting. She sighed contentedly, dropping to the ground under a shady tree.

Even Sasuke was watching her thoughtfully, his usual arrogant expression cleared. She looked at him, eyebrow raised.

"What?"

He smirked and looked away.

"Nothing."

Sakura rolled her eyes, laying flat on her back with her head resting on her arms, eyes closed. She drank in the feeling of victory. Sakura was going to fight Sasuke tomorrow, and tomorrow, he was going to lose.

A vicious grin spread across her lips as she envisioned the emotionless Uchiha on his knees, surrendering, begging for mercy. Now _that _would be show.

"What are you thinking about that has you so smug?" Kakashi asked, sounding strangely close. Sakura cracked an eye to find him hovering over her, single eye curious and amused.

"Uchiha Sasuke's demise," she replied soberly, letting her eye drift closed once more and returning to her evil planning.

She vaguely felt a glare being aimed in her direction, and brushed it off.

"Okay, training is over, be here early tomorrow because I'm pretty sure the Hokage has a mission for us," Kakashi said, then disappeared with a poof.

Sakura sighed, hoping that Kakashi would get here on time for once. They would finally get a mission, only they couldn't take it without their jounin instructor who had conveniently decided not to show up. It was all very tiring.

Of course, this also meant that her diabolical plans for Sasuke would have to wait as well. _Damn…_

Eventually, Sakura hauled herself up and trudged home, leaving a brooding Sasuke and a cheerful Naruto behind.

* * *

A/N: ok theres the first chappy. Should I continue with this? This whole chapter was pretty much setting up for the rest of the story. I think it will probably be Sasu/Saku but right now I could go any way with it. Next chapter coming soon! Review! 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: chapter 2, it's up pretty quickly because I pretty much had it half done when I posted the first chapter. But anyway, I seriously don't know where this is going now, and it's getting a little dramatic. Oh well.

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of its components in any way, nor do I make a profit.

* * *

They were all chuunin, Team 7, and technically, they didn't need to have a jounin teaching them. For some reason, they all still did. Perhaps this was their last feeble grasp at their childhood memories, a steady anchor in their rapidly changing world.

When she reached the apartment that she had recently bought, she stepped inside and locked the door, flinging her shuriken holster and weapons pouch on the table. She felt a little sweaty, and as far as she was concerned, a shower would be the best remedy.

Before she had had this apartment, the Academy had been giving her a place to stay, as she had no parents and no living relatives to care for her. Sakura had decided that she rather liked having her own place. There was no one to disturb her, and she could do whatever she wanted.

But at the same time, it was lonely. Every day, Sakura would come back to her empty apartment, her social life over for the time, unless she had previously made plans with Ino. She often longed for someone who understood, and had quickly befriended the sand ninja Temari during the chuunin exams. Of course, Temari lived in the Sand Village, and it was not often that she was in Konoha long enough for them to talk.

After her shower, Sakura dressed in clean clothes and decided to go out. It was nearly dinner time, but she wasn't terribly hungry, and she had time to kill. Though she wanted to be rested for their mission tomorrow, she felt an obligation to a little bit of fun.

She was sixteen, and she needed a release from all of the shinobi standards and expectations. Slipping into her new mini and a workable top, she fixed her hair up and darted out the door, heading for the hot new club down the street.

It was fairly new, and as she had already been there twice, having been yanked along by Ino, she knew what to expect at night. Crowded, pulsing music, thick heat, and a wonderful opportunity to let loose. She slipped in with no problem and found a spot in the middle of the dance floor, among the many crushing bodies.

Closing her eyes, she managed to block out the flickering strobe lights and the jostling people around her, and focused on the music, a slow, sensual beat that led her to sway her hips and throw her arms in the air. It was amazing, to feel nothing but this perfection, a flawless blending of body and beat.

How long she stayed like this, she didn't know, but she only snapped out of her reverie when a hand tapped her shoulder. Startled, she opened her eyes to a boy that looked strangely familiar, but she couldn't seem to place him.

"Hey, do you want something to drink?" he asked, giving Sakura a small smile.

Sakura stopped dancing and stared at him. He had shaggy brown hair that flopped in his face and startling hazel eyes. Glancing around and finding nothing suspicious, she shrugged and nodded. He led her to the bar and paid for her drink, then they both moved to a booth.

"So," he began, smiling at her. "I don't believe we've met, but you are Haruno Sakura, right?"

Sakura's fingers, which had been playing with her straw, stilled. "Yes…" she answered slowly, then squinted up at him, trying to make him out in the flickering lights. Suddenly it clicked.

"Kyone Harati!" she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. "You went to the Academy the same year I did."

He grinned. "Yes, that's right. I've had a crush on you since we were seven," he confided, a sheepish look on his face.

Despite herself, a blush crept up Sakura's face and heated her cheeks. She looked down, taking a nervous sip of her drink to cover it up.

"So you're a chuunin now?" Kyone questioned, watching her face intently. Sakura nodded.

"Yes, but I'm currently still training with my genin team." They chatted for a few minutes, making small talk.

"Can I walk you home?" Kyone asked suddenly, leaning his elbows on the table.

Sakura looked up, surprised, and nodded. "Yeah, I'd like that," she answered, just barely loud enough to be heard over the music.

Kyone grinned at her and she felt herself blushing again. _This isn't like me, _she thought slowly. She was around lots of cute guys, and she never blushed whenever they smiled at her.

Sasuke, for instance. Well, that wasn't a really good example. She _had _blushed, when she believed herself madly in love with him. Plus, he never smiled, and the guy was enough of an asshole to blot out his looks anyway. Shikamaru, Naruto, Hutame, Kilon, Neji (also a jerk), and even Kakashi (though there was some speculation about that one).

Kyone held out a hand to her, and she took it, abandoning her drink and stepping out of the booth. Surprisingly, he didn't let go of her hand once she'd stood, and pulled her gently through the crowd out into the street.

She took a deep breath, relishing the cooler and fresher air. Kyone looked down at her, still holding her hand, she noticed.

"Are you cold?" he asked, seemingly concerned. Before she could reply he had tugged her closer and slung his arm around her shoulders. She stiffened, but didn't move to break his arm off. Was this unpleasant? She wasn't completely sure.

There was something about the way that he had moved in so quickly on her that set alarms blaring in her mind. But, for some reason, she didn't want to think, _couldn't _think. It was getting easier to just let his arm remain there, to lean into his embrace.

Her vision was for some reason foggier, her movements slower. That was when she realized that they weren't heading in the direction of her house. In fact, they were heading in the opposite direction. She tried to speak, to tell Kyone that he was going the wrong way, but all that came out was a cross between a whimper and a whine.

Kyone looked down at her and smiled. "Almost there, dear," he said, squeezing her shoulder comfortingly. Sakura knew something was wrong. She tried to pull away, but managed to lazily lift her head and sluggishly move out of his grip.

"S-stop. You put smnnnthgg in my drnnk," she slurred, blinking rapidly. Kyone laughed, and the sound echoed in her misty mind.

"Little late for that, hmm? Now be good and let's keep going." He reached out to pull her close again when a hand grabbed his wrist.

"I'll be taking her home now."

Sakura turned her head slowly and her hazy vision picked out a navy blue shirt and white pants. _Sasuke…_

Alright, she would have to lower his asshole rating a bit for this one. If there was anything Sasuke had, it was impeccable timing. It was lucky that he had shown up in time, or who knows what could have happened.

She merely looked on, too drugged to respond as Sasuke verbally beat Kyone off. He sounded furious, a cold, hard edge to his voice. _Probably at me…being…stupid,_ she thought drowsily, watching Kyone fly into a wall with a dreamy smile on her face.

"Sasuke-kunnn," she purred, wrapping her arms around her rescuer. He froze, and looked down at her sternly. She only smiled back, realizing yet again how handsome he was.

"Sakura, you're going home now. Tell me where you live."

She tried, tried very hard to remember, and finally produced some vague directions. Sasuke only nodded and swept her up, slinging her over his shoulder as easily as if she were a backpack.

Normally she would have protested, but instead she allowed herself to be carried back to her apartment, through her door, and set gently on her bed. The last thing she remembered was Sasuke covering her with a blanket and mumbling something about her immaturity and stupidity, followed by a hasty "good night".

Then the door shut with a reassuring click and everything fell away into blackness.

_Beep beep beep beep beep _

Sakura's eyes cracked open, and she immediately shut them again as a wave of nausea washed over her. Groaning, she rolled over on her stomach and pulled the pillow over her aching head. _What _had she done last night? She couldn't remember.

Finally the incessant beeping drove her crazy and she flung the pillow, successfully knocking the alarm clock to the floor. The assailant silenced, Sakura slowly sat up, cradling her head in her hands. She felt as if someone had whacked her over the head with a baseball bat.

Had she gotten drunk? She didn't think so. Sighing, Sakura stood and gingerly made her way to the bathroom, where she brushed her teeth.

As she glanced in the mirror, she noticed she was wearing the same clothes she had been in last night. _When she had gone to the club. Where she had met Kyone, if that was even his name. Where Kyone had slipped something into her drink. Where Sasuke had come to her rescue._

Sakura's eyes widened and she clutched the edge of the sink, the fuzzy memories beginning to return. She realized how close she had come to waking up in some random room and not remembering a thing. How could she have been so careless?

Looking in the mirror again she took in her own pale face, anguished and frightened. Her hair hung in disarray around her face, her makeup smeared under her wide green eyes. She looked fragile. Like a single tap could break her, shatter her into a million irreparable pieces.

Clenching her jaw, Sakura forced her expression into one of blankness. She was obviously not her usual cheery self, but neither was she a terrified little girl.

Next she tried to look strong, audacious. She narrowed her emerald eyes and glared at her reflection, but she didn't feel as if she pulled it off. Instead she felt like a child playing dress up in her mother's clothes. It wasn't right on her, she couldn't fill it out. Would it always be this way? Was she destined to always be weak, when she had tried so hard to become strong?

Sakura was a kunoichi, a ninja of the Hidden Leaf Village. Her job was to protect the citizens of Konoha, first and foremost. How could she be trusted with that job when it seemed she couldn't even protect herself? Sighing, she let her expression slip once again into blankness, the neutral zone.

She had been taking tentative steps in her confidence level, as her training and methods seemed to improve. But now it all seemed like a joke. She could believe all she wanted, but when it came down to it, she was still the same person inside that she had been years ago.

She gave her reflection one last searching look, and turned away, disappointed. She would of course have to thank Sasuke. God knows what he would have to say about her sense of judgment because of last night. On top of that, he now almost certainly viewed her as the same weak genin assigned to his team four years ago.

It was amazing how horrible life could become in the span of one night.

Sakura took a quick shower, scrubbing her skin until it was red and raw and massaging her scalp, hoping to dull the pain in her head a bit. She didn't know what had been put in her drink, but she figured it would be better to get herself checked out before their mission.

When she looked at the clock in her kitchen, she was dressed, with her bag already packed for the mission. She still had an hour and a half before she had to meet Team 7 at the gates. Still feeling a bit nauseous, she decided against breakfast and instead made her way to the hospital.

She sincerely hoped the Fifth Hokage wasn't in at this hour. While it killed her enough that Sasuke knew about her irresponsible actions, it would crush her for Tsunade to think of her that way as well. The woman was everything she wanted to be. Strong, self-sufficient, successful…

With a sigh, Sakura walked through the doors and up to the desk, explaining that she wanted a simple physical. The woman assigned her to a room on the second floor, and Sakura thanked her quietly, then took the stairs up to her room.

While she waited on the table, she bit her lip. Whomever the nurse was, she would have to explain the situation and trust that it wouldn't be repeated to anyone else. The door opened, and Shizune walked in, a smile spreading on her face when she saw Sakura.

Relief engulfed Sakura as she smiled back at Shizune. This woman, though the Hokage's assistant, was someone she could trust. Shizune wouldn't see her as an irresponsible child.

"Ah, Sakura! Nice to see you." She looked down at her clipboard. "A physical? Didn't you have one last month?"

Sakura lowered her eyes to the floor.

"Yes, but you see…last night I went to a club downtown, and I met this guy there." Shizune's mouth was turning down more and more at the corners as she went on.

"He offered to buy me a drink, and I accepted. I thought he used to be in my genin class at the Academy. Anyway he asked if he could walk me home, and while we were walking, I started feeling sleepy. My vision was blurry and it was very hard to think, and then I realized that we weren't heading towards my apartment. I tried to pull away but I was too weak. Then Sasuke showed up, and saved me. He took me home." She was glad that her voice hadn't cracked from shame in the middle of her explanation. 'I was too weak'. The words seemed to burn in her mouth.

Hearing the story from herself made it seem all the more reckless and stupid. _She_ was stupid. Letting a guy do that to her, when she should be able to care for herself. She shouldn't need Sasuke to look out for her. She didn't want to think about what could have happened if he hadn't, though.

Sakura slowly let her chin drop until her head hung in humiliation. Shizune hadn't said anything yet. Suddenly she was in front of Sakura, and she tilted Sakura's chin up with her finger. Her eyes were kind and understanding, and Sakura allowed herself to draw strength from them.

"Sakura," she said softly, shaking her head. Sakura raised a brow in confusion.

"I'm sorry this had to happen to you. It's not your fault."

Sakura's eyes widened in disbelief.

"What are you talking about? It _is _my fault! I should have been able to protect myself! And I couldn't, Shizune-san. I failed myself and Konoha by confirming what people have been saying for years," she exclaimed, and she could feel tears gathering in her eyes. Damn it all to hell.

Shizune shook her head again.

"No, Sakura. You didn't fail. People like that have many ways of tricking women into drinking or eating something. It _was not _your fault, and you shouldn't be ashamed. That man should, for the things he was willing to do. I'm just very glad Sasuke showed up before it got much worse," she replied, watching Sakura's face.

"And what do you mean? What did you supposedly confirm?" Shizune asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"That I'm weak! The most pathetic member of Team 7." This she said emotionlessly. It was a fact, after all. Shizune actually rolled her eyes.

"No one has ever said that, and it's not true. Anyone who works hard will get their reward, and you, Sakura, work hard. Even Tsunade agrees with me. You'll see, in time. There are different types of strengths, Sakura."

Sakura was in shock. Tsunade? The _Hokage?_ Impossible. The thought filled her with a giddiness that she hadn't felt in a while. She certainly didn't want the Hokage's view of her marred, especially now. Perhaps that was what she would do. She had an image to uphold with someone she admired greatly, and she had something to prove to her teammates and herself.

Sakura watched Shizune. "Tsunade…?" she questioned, astonishment clear on her features.

Shizune smiled gently. "Yes, Sakura. Tsunade has commented to me that she believes you surpass your teammates in ways unknown even to you, even if you may not feel that way. She thinks that wherever it is you want to go, you'll get there." Her expression turned thoughtful.

"You've never been one to give up, Sakura. Don't start now."

Sakura was reeling. The Fifth had said that about her? Well, then. If Tsunade believed it, then it must be true. But how? She was not physically stronger, that was obvious. That was something that she could change, though. She was shaken by last night's events, physically and emotionally, that was for sure. Sakura needed to get her feet back under her and plow on, harder than before.

She needed to stop feeling sorry for herself, because when she succumbed to the temptation to despair and give up, that was when she was truly weak. She lifted her head and looked Shizune in the eye.

"Hai, Shizune-san. I won't let you or Tsunade-sama down, I promise."

Shizune smiled, and Sakura thought that she looked proud for a second. Then she was all business, the therapist side of her gone and the doctor taking over.

"So I assume you want me to check for traces of the drug and flush it out?" she questioned, checking Sakura's pupils with a small flashlight.

Sakura nodded. "Hai, arigatou."

Shizune placed her fingers on Sakura's temples and as her soothing green chakra flowed, Sakura's headache ebbed and disappeared all together.

After a few minutes, her stomach seemed to settle back into its rightful place, and the nausea faded. Finally Shizune pulled away.

"Alright, you're all set. It was a common drug, thank god. Easily removed. And, Sakura, when you get back, please turn this man in. We don't want him walking around looking for more victims. Now I believe you have a mission today, yes? You had better get going."

Sakura hopped off the table, feeling better than she had in a while, and it was not just due to the healing.

Before she went out the door, Sakura stopped and looked back at Shizune.

"Arigatou, Shizune-san. Truly," she said, giving her a soft smile.

Shizune smiled back. "You're welcome, Sakura. If you ever need to talk, let me know, alright?"

Sakura was floored by the compassion she had received from this woman. She nodded, then turned to leave, but hesitated. Running back, she threw her arms around the short woman, hugging her tightly. Shizune returned the embrace, still smiling. Sakura turned and left the room, hurrying down the hallway.

Shizune stared after her, silently wishing the girl luck. She knew Sakura, and if anyone had the determination and loyalty needed most in a ninja, it was her. With everything that Sakura had already been through, including losing her parents, it was understandable that she needed a few encouraging words now and then. But Shizune was confident. Sakura would pull through, and she would come out on top. After all, Tsunade had told her so.

* * *

A/N: ok, now you know what to do. Review please! If you have any suggestions I'd be happy to hear them. ;) 


End file.
